The numbers are in, and there are not a lot of surprises as long term trends hold.
The numbers, in the case of the Canadian Census of Agriculture, with a document released every five years.
So what did we learn?
Well a good portion of farmers have at least a tinge of grey hair.
More than half of farmers are 55 and older, according to the 2016 census. The 55.5 per cent in that category is up nearly seven percentage points from the 2011 census.
That number is not exactly a shocking one, anecdotally at least, most in the industry have been aware a large number of producers have stayed active longer.
More intriguing is that the under 35 category increased for the first time since 1991 to 9.4 per cent, up from 8.1 per cent in 2011. The question these two numbers beg is why?
The aging producer groups are reasonably the result of two factors.
The first is that people across all walks of life seem to be staying active longer. That might be simply because we are healthier longer.
In terms of farming there may also be the factor many older producers can shift into a more management role, as farm size grows, leaving at least some of the long hours into the tractor seat to hired labour.
And yes farms are getting bigger. The number of farms has declined 5.9 per cent, and those acres have been absorbed by others.
The result the number of farms with more than 3,520 acres is up eight per cent from 2011.
But back to the older age category for farmers; one might surmise, as I do here, that at least a portion of those producers don’t have family wanting to farm at all, or not ready until other careers have gave them some financial cushion. In both cases it is reasonable to expect the existing farmer is more apt to hold on to that which he has built longer. But what of the growth in the number of farmers under 35 years of age?
That number is certainly one of the most positive to come out of the 2016 Census of Agriculture because it sets a base for the industry moving forward.
Harder to explain is why the bump?
Farming has seen some record years of late, production wise, and production value wise, and that has to be encouraging for the young individual thinking about entering the industry. Profitability is a key to any business.
The ability to achieve profits in agriculture has been a roller coaster for years.
In the 25-years-plus I’ve covered the sector I’ve seen farm gate stands to prevent farm foreclosure sales, and tractor protests slowing traffic on major highways to protest the plight of the sector.
And there have been record process for beef, and canola and most other farm commodities too.
Still, the core trends seem to be supported by the latest numbers, and there is little to suggest continued farm growth, larger farm size, and aging farmers will change anytime soon. •
— By Calvin Daniels
